This invention relates to a game, comprising a number of elements with at least one nontransparent zone, and at least one opening or transparent zone, which are so made that by forming a pile of at least two elements a predetermined figure can be made visible.
Such a game is described in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,140,320. This game comprises several cards, with a surface that is divided into sections, of which one section is nontransparent and is provided with a nontransparent symbol, while a transparent zone is provided in all other sections. The cards differ from each other by the location of the nontransparent section with the symbol. If two cards are placed on top of one another, the symbol of the lower card is visible through a transparent zone of the upper card. By forming a pile of cards a predetermined figure can be made visible with the nontransparent symbols of the piled-up cards.
The game that is described in the Belgian patent no. 703 260 is based on the same principle. This game comprises a number of cards made of a transparent material, on which nontransparent zones are provided. A part of a figure is represented on each card by means of the nontransparent zone(s), so that the whole figure can be made visible by laying the cards on top of one another.
The object of the above described known games is in each case to obtain a predetermined figure, by laying several cards on top of one another, by which the different parts of this figure are represented in the correct place. The only skill that is required for that purpose is recognising the shape and the location, or only the location (in the case of the game according to U.S. Pat. No. 4,140,320), on the surface that is occupied by the various parts of the figure on the individual cards. Most people (with the exception of children) have little difficulty with this.
In order to bring some excitement into the course of the game, the game must be so played that the players cannot have all the cards available at all times. So the rules of the game are therefore that through luck a player comes into possession of a card that can be used for forming a predetermined figure. So for most players it is especially the "luck" factor, and only to a very limited degree their skill that determines the results of their play.
The more this game is played, the quicker the cards required for forming a predetermined figure will be recognised. The "luck" factor therefore increases in significance all the more, the better the game is known. After a time most people will therefore no longer find any challenge in these games.
With another game, which is described in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,671,515, there is a first type of nontransparent cards on which individual symbols are represented, and a second type of cards with a nontransparent zone and a transparent zone with the shape of a number or a letter. If a card of the second type is laid on top of a card of the first type, a number of the individual symbols of the lower card are visible through the transparent zone of the upper card. A card of the first type and a card of the second type belong together if a number of predetermined symbols are visible while these cards lie one on top of the another. An object of this game consists in obtaining a matching card of the second type for a number of cards of the first type.
With the game described in the preceding paragraph it must be determined whether or not a number of symbols on a card of the first type correspond to a location on which a card of the second type is provided with a transparent zone. With this game no predetermined figure has to be formed by the players. The only figure that comes into it, is the figure that is formed by the transparent zone of each card of the second type.
Just as with the above described games, this game only requires the skill to recognise the location of a surface that is occupied by a nontransparent symbol on another card, and therefore also has the above described disadvantages.
This invention also relates to an apparatus for playing a game, comprising a screen and means for selecting elements one after another, provided for obtaining a predetermined figure on the screen through a suitable selection of elements.